Relocate To Florida
Over the past sixteen years we have helped many families realize their dream of living and working in Florida. Many people think it's impossible to achieve this or it will be very costly. This really is a myth
there are many ways to legally relocate to Florida and enjoy a great lifestyle along with a fabulous climate.
You certainly have to invest in Florida to make a move here that's for sure. The only exceptions are if you
have direct family that are Citizens of the USA or you meet some of the other criteria such as have a special skill or talent that would enable a special visa. Being a contestant in X Factor or American Idol simply wont "cut it" I'm afraid.
Green Card Lottery
Many countries Citizens are eligible to enter the USA Green Card Lottery. Sadly the UK is not eligible as
high numbers already immigrate to the USA and hence that makes the UK not eligible. Northern Ireland and it's dependant territories are however eligible.
The following Countries are not eligible
•Brazil
•Canada
•China
•Colombia
•Dominican Republic
•Ecuador
•El Salvador
•Guatemala
•Haiti
•India
•Jamaica
•Mexico
•Pakistan
•Philippines
•Peru
•Poland
•South Korea
•United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
•Vietnam
One of the simplest ways to gain legal right to reside and work in the USA is the E 2 Treaty Investment Visa
Introduction to Treaty visas
Over the years the United States has signed treaties with most of the other countries in the world, in particular treaties of 'Friendship, Commerce and Navigation'. These treaties are designed to promote trade and investment between the USA and the other contracting state, thereby encouraging good relations and peace. More recently the USA has entered into a number of Bilateral Investment Treaties with mainly former communist states, designed to promote investment but not generally conferring any trade-related immigration privileges.
Nationals (individuals or companies) of countries with such Treaties with the United States can obtain visas to work in the USA in order to develop and direct their investment in and/or trade with the USA. Such visas are called E-visas, and come in two types:-
The E1 Treaty Trader:
Nationals of qualifying Treaty countries who undertake a significant amount of international trade with the United States my qualify for this type of visa. The volume of such trade must be sufficient to justify the trader or his/her employee(s) being in the United States to manage the trade, and must constitute the majority of the trader's international trade (i.e. at least 50% of the Trader's exports/imports must be to/from the USA). There is no set minimum level of trade which is considered sufficient, but obviously the lower the volume of trade the less likely one is to qualify as a Treaty Trader.
The E2 Treaty Investor:
Nationals of qualifying Treaty countries who have made a significant investment in the United States may qualify for E2 Treaty Investor status. Like the E1 visa, there is no set minimum level of investment which may qualify for E2 status, but the lower the investment the less likely one is to qualify. Again, the level of investment must be sufficient to justify the treaty national (or his/her employees) presence in the United States. The investment must be in an operating business – i.e. simply buying property or stocks and bonds does not qualify. Also, a substantial part of the investment must have been made before applying for E2 status.
E1 Visa Countries
The following countries have treaties with the United States that allow qualifying nationals to apply for Treaty Trader status:-
Argentina China (ROC) France Italy Netherlands Sweden
Australia Colombia Germany Japan Norway Switzerland
Austria Costa Rica Greece Korea Oman Thailand
Belgium Denmark Honduras Latvia Pakistan Togo
Bolivia Estonia Iran Liberia Philippines Turkey
Brunei Ethiopia Ireland Lux'bourg Spain U.K.
Canada Finland Israel Mexico Suriname Yugoslavia
Nationals of qualifying countries may apply for an E1 visa in order to 'Develop and Direct' import/export trade (of goods or services) between their own country and the US. They may also apply for E1 visas for key managerial and specialist employees. Unlike the L1 visa, there is no requirement for such employees to have worked for the Trader for at least one year in the last three.
E1 visa registration applications center on the volume of trade between the USA and the Treaty country. The prospective Treaty Trader must demonstrate that:-
•There will be a substantial number of trade transactions between the US and the treaty country.
•There will be a substantial dollar value to the trade between the US and the treaty country.
•The majority of international (i.e. not including transactions within the Treaty country or within the US) trade transactions undertaken by the applicant (have been and) will be between the US and the treaty country.
•The majority of the dollar value of trade (has been and) will be between the US and the treaty country.
•The trader (or his/her employees seeking E1 visas) has sufficient business acumen and experience to develop and direct the trade.
•The trader, and any other E1 staff, are able and willing to leave the US upon termination of their E1 status.
•The trader has a past history of conducting trade between the US and the treaty country.
E2 Visa Countries
E2 visas may only be applied for by people or companies from the following countries:
E2 Visa Countries
E2 visas may only be applied for by people or companies from the following countries:
Argentina China (ROC) Georgia Kyrgyzstan Pakistan Switzerland
Armenia Colombia Germany Latvia Panama Thailand
Australia Congo Grenada Liberia Philippines Togo
Austria Costa Rica Honduras Luxembourg Poland Trinidad and Tobago
Bangladesh The Czech Republic Iran Mexico Romania Tunisia
Belarus Ecuador Ireland Morocco Senegal Turkey
Belgium Egypt Italy Moldovia The Slovak Republic The Ukraine
Bosnia-Herzegovina Estonia Jamaica Mongolia Spain United Kingdom
Bulgaria Ethiopia Japan Netherlands Sri Lanka Uzbekistan
Cameroon Finland Kazakhstan Norway Suriname Yugoslavia
Canada France Korea Oman Sweden
Unratified but signed treaties exist with: Albania, Azerbaijan, Haiti, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Russia.
Investors from qualifying countries may apply for an E2 visa in order to 'Direct and Develop' their investment. They may also apply for E2 visas for key managerial and specialist employees. In contrast to the L1 visa, there is no requirement that such employees have worked for the Investor for at least one year in the last three, nor is it necessary for the Investor to continue operations outside the USA while the Investor or his/her employees are in the USA.
E2 visa registration applications should demonstrate that:
1.There has been and will be a substantial capital investment in the US. There is no specific cash threshold defined, but $40,000 is probably an absolute minimum, and any investment below $100,000 would need a very strong case to support it.
2.Risk Capital has been Committed; the investment must entail some risk to the investor (it may not be all in the form of unguaranteed credit). At a minimum, there must be a long-term lease of an office in the US
3.The investor will control his/her investment. In this respect control is considered to entail owning over 50% of the US enterprise.
4.The cash invested is not marginal when compared to the total investment. In general, unless it is common to the industry to have higher amounts of 'leveraging' (such as in the property industry), 51% of the investment should be in the form of cash equity. Where debt is secured against other assets of the investor, it is considered to be 'at risk', and may be considered as part of the equity invested.
5.The enterprise is (or will be) active. In order to be 'Directing and Developing' their investment, the investor will require an enterprise that involves active management.
6.US workers are (or will be) employed. The treaties envisage more than just creating a job for the principal investor, but there is no requirement to employ a particular number of US citizens. Obviously, employment of large numbers of US citizens would be viewed very favorably.
7.The enterprise, or its principal investor, has a past history of successful trading.
8.That the 'investor' has sufficient acumen to direct and develop the investment enterprise.
9.That the principal investor, and any other E2 staff, are able and willing to leave the US upon termination of their E2 status.
E1 and E2 Employees
Once the principal applicant has obtained registration as a Treaty Investor or Trader, it is a relatively straightforward task to obtain E visas for qualifying employees. Obtaining the registration usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, and obtaining subsequent employee visas usually takes 10 to 15 working days.
Two types of employee qualify for E visas:-
Executives & Managers:
Executives and Managers should be going to develop and direct the trade or investment of the principal investor/trader in the USA. Such personnel should be able to demonstrate their executive or managerial pedigree, though there is no requirement that they have worked for the principal trader or investor for at least one year, as there is with the L1 visa. Generally a resume and supporting letter from the principal is all the evidence required.
Specialist or Essential Skilled Workers:
Visas for this type of employee are somewhat more difficult to obtain. One must demonstrate that:
1.A US resident worker could not fill the position;
2.The employment of the treaty national is necessary for the running of the principal trader or investor's business in the USA;
3.US workers will be trained to replace the treaty national (details of the proposed training must be given).
If the above criteria are met then an E-visa can be obtained, but is considerably more difficult to renew than an Executive/Managerial E visa.
Note that, a 'visa issuance fee' is often required in addition to the usual visa application fee for E visas. This usually amounts to $100-200. Also E-visa employees must be of the same nationality as the principal investor or trader.
Dependents of E-visa workers are also issued E visas. However, these are not authorized for employment, though such dependants may engage in study.
There has been steady growth in the E2 visa over the past few years. An option open to people with substantial money, basically it is a way to buy entry into the U.S. without actually "immigrating."
Due to technical definition, an E2 visa is considered a non-immigration visa. However, once an investor is able to qualify and enter into the U.S. in this category, they are able to look for other opportunities and to apply for green cards and eventually citizenship.
28,290 E2's were issued in 2005, an increase of approximately 40% since 1997. The U.S. does not set a specific investment amount; rather it vaguely states that a business owner must invest a "substantial amount of capital" that generates "more than enough income to provide a minimal living for the treaty investor and his or her family."
Usually this means quite substantial, but increasingly people are learning how to purchase smaller businesses or create new ones from scratch on a small budget. Usually this means about $100,000 USD, but it can be done for a bit less.
When compared to the other expenses and the long waiting period for more traditional entry methods, it is actually a fairly standard investment.
Other considerations are that new business owners can issue work invitations and work contracts to help assist themselves and family members gain entry. The method can be complex, but with some study and assistance it can be a cost effective way to gain green cards, work permits and, eventually, citizenship for those who are interested.
For examples, people from Japan attained 12,010 E2 visas in 2005, up 16 percent from 1997. UK citizens were granted 3,170 E2 visas, an increase of 47 percent from 1997. Germans were issued 3,066 visas in 2005, up 85 percent from 1997. At 2,169, the number of E2's issued to South Koreans in 2005 more than doubled from 1997.
Even more important, at this time there are no quotas for E2 visas. So long as investors are citizens of a country that has signed a special commerce treaty with the United States, they are eligible. It is up to the individual if they wish to use the E2 merely for business, or if they also wish to use it as an immigration vehicle.
Standard approval from the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for other visas for applications as temporary skilled-worker or other business visas can take years to be processed.
An E2 approval is typically 16 to 20 weeks in Britain, while an H1B visa (for comparison) for temporary skilled workers have years-long waiting lists for countries like India. The E2 visa is typically issued for two years. It can be renewed indefinitely as long as the investor is running the business and it generates "more than enough revenue" to support the investor's family. The E2 visa also covers the investor's spouse and children under age 21.
Investors can eventually apply for green cards and then citizenship. Many are finding they can sell their homes in the country of origin to generate enough capital to fund their new E2 enterprise.
All this information can appear to be confusing and hard to understand. Please just call us and we will explain in easy to understand language how you can qualify for one of the many visa's.
Call 407-908-0275 or e mail here
TIME TO MOVE
